Return
by 24Chocoholic24
Summary: When the morgue staff finally makes it back to safety, how has the experience influenced them?  WoodyJordan, LillyBug, GarrettRenee pairings. If you like the pairings, you'll like the story.  R&R...I don't own characters, etc.
1. Coffee Shop

He had stayed with her at the hospital. He had kept her company through the frustrating night of constant healthcare procedures and endured with her the discomfort of a long sleep in a lumpy bed in observation. He had stayed with her when she requested his presence; and he had left her alone when she needed her space. He had checked on her at lunchtime their first day back, and now he was sitting in a coffee shop, enjoying a double caramel latte with extra caramel.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang, drawing the attention of several other customers nearby. As soon as he could get a hold of the contraption, he brought it to his ear. "Hoyt," he answered casually.

_"Hey, Woody; it's me,"_ Nigel grinned on the other end of the line. Before the detective could respond, he continued. _"Great news. Doctor Macy made it successfully out of surgery."_

Woody sat up straight in his chair. "That's great! How are the rest of you?" Woody had brought Jordan home, along with Bug, who had returned to his life with Lilly and Madelyn. Kate and Nigel had remained with Garrett, and Renee had taken Abbey to join the three of them.

Nigel shook his head, considering the shape his party was in after a sleepless night and an anxious morning. After such a major ordeal, though, he still had his wit. _"We're better than we've been in several days,"_ he said, stating the obvious. _"How's the home crew doing?"_

Woody hesitated a moment, trying to think of creative ways to say that everybody was fine. "Bug is happily reunited with his 'family,' I'm off work for a week, and Jordan is… Jordan." That woman could not be described properly, but everybody who knew her described her in the same manner.

As expected, Nigel understood, and chuckled softly at the reassurance. _"Wonderful,"_ he cried, _"Kate and I are on the way to the car rental right now. We should be home in a few days."_ Nigel looked at Kate, still smiling. She was watching the scenery out the passenger-side window. _"We decided not to take any chances this time."_

It was Woody's turn to shake his head, now. "Couldn't get her off the ground again?"

_"Not for all the money in the world. Anyway, you guys take care, okay?"_

"Alright," Woody agreed, "you, too."

"Bye, Woody."

"See you soon, Nigel."

Soon. Everything would happen soon. Soon, they would all be back home where they belonged. Soon, Garrett would recover and would rejoin his friends at the morgue. Soon, everything would be back to normal. Then, when the time was right, he would propose to Jordan again. This time, she would say yes. That, too, was not farr off. Soon, he would be happier than he had ever been before. Soon.


	2. Need You

The first night back home, the nightmares started. All her greatest troubles were involved. First, the plane went down. Devon and Emmy were among the dead; Lu with the dying. JD was lying in a pool of his own blood on a bed in the back of the plane. There was a lump under the covers, and she knew that it was her mother's lifeless body.

With death surrounding her, she was shocked to hear her name being called. The voice was familiar, but appeared to be disembodied. "Woody? Where are you?" she called out, terrified. "Are you okay? Where are you?" Her questions went unanswered, an eerie silence filling the growing darkness. "Woody! Don't leave me… please! Woody!... Somebody!... _Anybody!_"

Suddenly, she was in her childhood bedroom, her father dead on the floor. Before she could react, a strong man cloaked in black and darkness was on her. He held a knife against her throat and began to undress her against her will. She could not move; fear had frozen her in place. She closed her eyes and slipped into the strange nothingness that took her from her dream and roused her from her sleep.

As she woke up, she realized that she had been crying and calling out in her sleep. It had caught Woody's attention; and he was now sitting by her side on the bed, stroking her arm and softly calling her name. "Jordan," he muttered one last time, looking her in the eye. "Hey," was his greeting to her, as always. "What's wrong?"

Jordan shook her head, and managed a small smile. "Nothing. It was a dream."

Of course, Woody knew that it was not simply a dream. Jordan _never_ cried. "A nightmare?" he guessed.

With a sigh, the woman nodded. "It was the crash. There were no survivors. Lu, Elaine, JD, Devon… _my mother!_ You were… I don't know. I could hear you, but you weren't there. Then, I was in my old room and my dad was dead and some guy was on me and… it just feels like somehow it's all my fault."

Woody wiped her cheeks clear of tears and spoke to her earnestly. "It's not. You have nothing to worry about. I'm right here; and your father can take care of himself. Now, please, do us both a favor and get some more sleep."

"Okay," Jordan agreed, appearing at first to have recovered from the scare. As Woody began to leave, though, she propped herself up on her side and grabbed his arm. "Are… are you okay? Out on the couch, I mean?"

Woody smiled, prompting Jordan to do the same. "Yeah, I'm fine. You okay in here?" There was a tremor in her gaze, as well as her grip. He knew she was not okay; but she would not admit it – even to him. He knew she knew he knew, and he rejoiced inwardly that she did not turn him away.

"Yeah, but… I could use some company." In reality, she was practically begging, and Woody was not about to turn her down. He would hold her for as long as he could, and she would certainly not object.


	3. Difficult

When, at last, Nigel pulled into Kate's neighborhood, the woman was asleep. Determined not to disturb her, he parked the car in her driveway, next to a brand-new red Hummer. It didn't take long for her to wake up; and when she did, she found herself face-to-face with the car of her dreams. "What in the name of –"

"Surprise!" Nigel grinned. "You said you wanted one, and I owed you a car… so…" He gestured out toward the grand vehicle.

For the first time in a long time, Kate wore a genuine smile. "Thank you Nigel." She meant it, and Nigel could tell. "I guess you really are a… great guy."

This compliment left its recipient nearly speechless. "Thank you," he whispered at length. "You're not half bad yourself. I'm sorry I was so rude to you. Sometimes, it's just hard to tell—"

"No; it's okay. It's all in the past, but all warnings still stand. And this doesn't mean—"

"It doesn't mean anything," Nigel finished her statement for her. "I just bought you a car. That's it. And now, since we're back, would you like any help with your things?"

After a short pause, Kate Switzer's smile faded and she simply replied, "No, thank you." With that, she grabbed her bags and disappeared into her cozy little home.

Nigel Townsend, grin still plastered across his face, pulled slowly out of the driveway and took off toward his own home.


	4. Unison

Lilly stumbled into the dining room, exhausted from rocking Madelyn to sleep. To her surprise and relief, Bug had set the table and prepared a nutritious meal. As she plopped into a high-backed chair, she released a big sigh of relief. She smiled wearily at Bug, who sat across the table from her, smiling back.

After a refreshing dinner spotted with small talk, the couple cleaned up after themselves. When finally they sat down to really relax, Lilly informed Bug of a call she had received that morning. "You'll never guess who I talked to today," she challenged.

Playfully, Bug took a guess. "The queen of England."

"Renee Walcott," Lilly corrected him. "They're bringing Garrett home tomorrow! He's recovering way better than the doctors had predicted; he should be back to work in a week or two." At this point, Bug could not find anything to say that might add to the excitement, so he stayed silent. "Before long, everything will be back to normal," the redhead marveled.

"Almost." Bug's voice was practically a whisper. Lilly looked to him for an explanation, fearful of the secret subject he referred to. "What do you mean?"

"Lilly, I love you; and… I love Madelyn, too. I want what's best for both of you, and –"

Lilly frowned as her doubts rose to the surface and took her breath. "If you want us to leave, we can –"

This time, _he_ cut _her_ off. "No," he half-chuckled. His gaze softened as he pulled the small box from his jacket pocket. Opening it toward her wide eyes, he smiled again. "Lilly Lebowski, will you marry me?" he asked carefully but confidently.

Bug's true love could not speak at first, her jaw hanging uselessly open. Once the tears began rolling down her cheeks, she found the strength to answer. "Yes. I… it… just… yes!!" Then, as Bug gingerly slipped the ring onto her finger, "Oh! It's beautiful! Thank you! I love you, too, Bug!"

With nothing more to say, Bug pulled Lilly to him, finding anything but resistance. For the first time, their relationship was secure and their love no longer hidden or contained.


	5. Back

When Garrett Macy finally sat at his desk again, he found he could not see the furniture. His workstation in particular was saturated with cards and gifts of all shapes and sizes. After clearing out a space to work in, Dr. Macy pulled out the papers representing the activity at the morgue since he'd been gone.

Before he had gotten very far in the pile, though, he was interrupted by shrieking and shouting from a crowd in Trace. His presence there was met by excited stares from Bug, Nigel, Woody, Kate, Lilly, and Jordan. "Is everything alright?" he asked after an awkward moment of silence.

"Yeah," Jordan breathed. "No worries." She had that same old grin on her face, but her eyes shone with a new light.

Lilly, her excitement uncontainable, could not help but add on. "Everything is… _amazing!_"

It was then that Garrett noticed the ring on Jordan's finger. It was the same one Woody had presented her with before, when her resolve was weaker than her fear. Garrett could not help but smile. "Woody?" With Woody's silent affirmation, he continued. "Thank you." Unfortunately, no one knew why this was such a relief to their boss; and their boss didn't know how to explain. "You guys have been through enough. It's about time you tied the knot." Woody was smiling now, along with everybody else. "Good luck, you guys. Lilly, Bug, you, too."

Both couples gave their thanks and grabbed onto each other. Bug had his arm around Lilly, while Jordan and Woody held hands. Then, all eyes turned to Nigel and Kate, who stood by themselves to one side of the group.

Kate, not wanting to have anything to do with the romance hype, shot Nigel a menacing glance. "Don't even _think_ about it!" she threatened loudly.

Nigel stifled a chuckle and broke the following silence. "Look, don't get me wrong. I'd love to celebrate right now, but I think I'm on the verge of identifying our John Doe here."

"Eight o'clock. Dinner at Charbono's, on me. You all better be there," Kate insisted. Before anyone could protest or proclaim their obvious shock, she was out the door.

Dr. Macy sighed, overcome by relief that things were back to a somewhat normal state. Abbey was home, he was engaged to marry Renee, and his staff was finding true happiness as well. It was a strange concept, but not unwelcome. Happiness really _can_ be found anywhere, even in a morgue.


End file.
